On Mon, 24 Aug 2020 09:43:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

Old windings are shellac insulated and that dissolves in ethyl alcohol.
And almost anything else. It is apparently used to coat pills so they
dissolve in the intestine and not the stomach.

The one now awaiting recycling was manufactured in the 1940s and
insulated with whatever they used back then. As you say, shellac I
guess back in those days.


So with shellac, the question is 'what will *not* dissolve it?'

That could well explain it then!